Discover seven power moves that redefine strategy. Solve real problems, embrace change, and shape your future success
You can read a hundred strategy books.You can attend every “executive masterclass” on the market. You can fill your notebook with neatly labeled frameworks. Yet you can still stumble into the same pitfalls if you treat strategy like a paint-by-numbers exercise.
Common Mistakes That Derail Strategy
- Box-Ticking Syndrome: You check off tasks without challenging the status quo.
- Analysis Paralysis: You dive into data but never turn insights into bold moves.
- Future Blindness: You obsess over present constraints instead of imagining what could be.
- Overconfidence in Templates: You rely on one-size-fits-all frameworks, missing the nuances that shape real success.
These aren’t minor missteps. They’re the roots of failed transformations. Strategy isn’t paperwork. It’s your primary engine to build tomorrow. As Roger Martin’s “Playing to Win” reminds us strategy starts with pinpointing a gap: the difference between where you are and a bigger, brighter future.
That gap demands decisive action. It won’t disappear because you completed a worksheet or followed a familiar checklist. Strategy is about making tough choices, taking informed risks, and chasing the horizon. So ask yourself: Are you going through the motions or playing to win?
Let’s have a look at these 7 steps.
The 7 Power Moves
Strategy thrives when bold, practical, and relentlessly focused on getting you there. These seven Power Moves act like principles, offering a clear pathway toward meaningful action. Instead of leaning on theories that stay locked in boardroom binders, these moves push you to confront real issues, spark fresh thinking, and commit to a future that is distinctly better than the present. Following each move in sequence while adapting as necessary will ignite a process that reshapes your organization for the long term.
Move #1: Define the Breakpoint
Ask yourself one fundamental question: “What’s wrong?” Look for the glaring discrepancy between your current reality and your ideal state. Your objective is not to sift through data in pursuit of certainties. It is to pinpoint the precise gap that begs for change. If you cannot articulate the problem, you cannot solve it. Make that clarity step one.
Move #2: Spark “How Might We?”
This is where audacity enters the room. Challenge your team to brainstorm big ideas by asking, “How might we fix this?” Keep your focus on actual customer needs rather than internal hurdles. If the conversation stalls, push it further. Often the most innovative ideas arise when you dare to dream beyond your previous limits.
Move #3: Generate Multiple Paths
Do not cling to a single safe option. Instead, sketch out multiple avenues. Some paths will seem outlandish or risky — consider them anyway. Bold thinking opens new possibilities and, even half-formed ideas can evolve into winning strategies. A breakthrough rarely appears if you lock yourself into one neat solution too early.
Move #4: Envision What Must Be True
Start with the desired end in mind. What conditions need to exist for your bold plan to succeed? Reverse-engineer each step, turning big dreams into feasible milestones. This process exposes the significant risks you will need to take. Seeing these leaps upfront builds both confidence and accountability.
Move #5: Spot the Hidden Barriers
Identify every assumption that could unravel your plan. Are you depending on a technology that lacks proven results? Are you relying on a market that might not respond? Do not view these barriers as insurmountable. They are tests that can spark innovation. Naming them empowers you to confront them directly.
Move #6: Test and Transform
Experiment fast. If a barrier holds, figure out how to break it. If it crumbles under scrutiny, adapt. A strategy must be flexible enough to evolve with new insights. Each test refines your approach. Every refinement brings you closer to a path as realistic as it is ambitious.
Move #7: Make the Hard Call
A strategy is just theoretical until you commit. Pick a lane and own it. This final move forces decisive action — no more hedging bets. Playing to win demands that you stand firmly behind the choice you believe will reshape your future. When you do, you will discover that real strategy is the ultimate catalyst for transformation.
Why It Matters
Change is not only unstoppable; it is a welcome invitation. Markets shift, technologies evolve, and consumer habits morph overnight. In this turbulent environment, strategy serves as your guide. It does not freeze your organization in place. Instead, it guides you through uncertainty, turning disruption into fresh possibility. When you see change as a threat, you risk letting competitors define the future.
The most effective leaders perceive change as an opportunity rather than a challenge. They pivot with purpose, searching for emerging opportunities others overlook. That is where strategy steps in. It clarifies which moves matter most and prevents you from scattering your energy on every new trend. Strategy hones your focus, giving you the discipline to act decisively.
Consider your next step. You may have gleaned valuable insights from the seven “Power Moves.” But knowledge is pointless without action. Pick one move — maybe you will define a glaring breakpoint or stress-test hidden barriers — and put it to work this week. Observe the results. Refine. Strategy is not static. It evolves with every insight, adapting as conditions shift. Curiosity fuels this evolution. Staying curious means staying relevant.
Every pivot is a chance to grow stronger. Embrace it and push forward.
Closing Thoughts
A strategy must solve real problems.
If it does not fix anything concrete, it is just another chore on your to-do list. Effective strategy demands the courage to confront gaps, spark bold ideas, and champion change that matters. It starts by revisiting your assumptions — where have you grown complacent, and what outcomes do you want?
Do not settle for minimal updates or trivial tweaks. Let your plan serve as the bridge from where you stand to the future you envision. Markets will keep shifting, technologies will keep evolving, and competition will stay fierce. But a well-crafted strategy is your North Star, guiding you to seize opportunities rather than react to threats.
Choose wisely. Every decision you make defines what is possible for your team, customers, and legacy. In the end, strategy is not just a roadmap — it is a declaration that you are here to shape tomorrow, not just survive today.
